Marine Corps Lieutenant ColonelO-5 LtCol (Previous)
Lieutenant Colonel

Marine Corps Colonel

O-6 Field Officer, U.S. Marine Corps
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Brigadier General

Marine Corps Ranks » Colonel RankCol PayCol Rank History

How to get promoted to Colonel History of the Marine Corps Colonel Rank

A Colonel is a Field Officer in the United States Marine Corps at DoD paygrade O-6.

"Colonna" in Latin means "Column", which is the medieval name of a group of Companies (now known as a Battalion). "Colonel" has been in use for about 500 years, beginning in France and Spain.

Want to learn more? Read about the Marine Corps' Colonel rank on Military-Ranks.org.


History of the Marine Corps

As far back as the Revolutionary War, Marines were known as Naval Infantry, and were assigned to ships to repel boarders, assault land-based targets, and discipline unruly Sailors. In WWI and WWII, Marines very successfully augmented Army units in war theaters throughout the world, with their most brutal and historic fighting on islands in the Pacific. In contrast with the Army, the Marines were not originally made to be self-sufficient to fight land wars for long periods of time. Doctors, Chaplains, and Medics who deploy with Marines are all Navy Sailors.